Savior (7 page)

              He giggled at her touch and smiled back at her. “I am glad they will grow back, when I first saw you I was somewhat worried that you would never fly again.” He slowly reached out a hand to place on her shoulder but quickly pulled it away, remembering the fear on her face when he had done so last time.

              “Fly?” She laughed and smiled at him. “I’ve never been more than two or three feet of the ground. That’s actually the reason Ruben had them clipped and why he got rid of my dragon friend.

              Damascus, that was the dragon’s name, was teaching me how to fly. Then after Ruben took him away I tried it on my own.”

              “You have never learned to fly? We’ll have to find some way to teach you, perhaps when we go to the angel city we can find a kind soul who will help you.” Marcus finished the last of his tea and set his up next to hers. Her wings already looked more full and vibrant; he wondered what was in the cream that acted so quickly to heal her.

              “Yes we should,” she said as she arched her back and yawned. She lay down next to him in front of the fire. His hand was inches from her shoulder and Alyssa looked at it in simple fascination. The desire to kiss him was still strong in her and fighting it was of little use. She bent her head down and kissed his fingertip gently. Her eyes never left his though and as she pulled away from him her cheeks were a dark red.

              Marcus tried hard to stifle his giggling and increasingly flushing cheeks. Smiling down at her, he lightly ran his fingers though her soft curls. Her golden hair flowed easily though his fingers and he was glad she hadn’t flinched away. “We will see it one day Alyssa, we will run around in the streets and forget all of our cares. You will soar high in the sky, more beautiful than any fowl that shared it with you.” He smiled down at her and slowly relaxed his fingers out of her delicate hair.

              Alyssa blushed and rose gracefully to her feet. “Goodnight Marcus. See you in the morning.”

              She picked up the cream and cups and left the room. Alyssa put the cups into the sink and then walked into the bedroom. She crawled naked between his sheets and snuggled into the most luxurious bed she had ever been in. Really the only actual beds she had spent time in were Ruben’s or one of his guests, so

              Marcus’s bed was a welcomed treat. She pulled the sheet up around her body and folded her wings against her shoulders for the night. Alyssa lay awake in the bed listening to Marcus and the crickets outside. Rain beat against the window and she was glad to have a place to come inside away from it for once.

              Marcus stared into the fire, a whirlwind of thoughts running though his mind. After a while, he got up and extinguished the fire and the various torches that hung around the room. He stood in the center of the dark room and crossed his arms over his chest as he slowly rose into the air. He floated in the cool air and said a silent goodnight to the little angel sleeping in the bedroom. Marcus eventually closed his eyes and drifted off into the world of dreams.

              As the dawning sun kissed her cheeks, Alyssa awoke. She stretched her wings and reluctantly slid out of bed. It had been the best night of sleep she ever had and she didn’t want to let it go. She hadn’t had a night without nightmares since before she had met Ruben. Alyssa had almost forgotten what it had been, like. But dawn had come and she had never been one to sleep much past sunrise. She took a quick bath and then dressed in one of her new short dresses. Alyssa was barefoot, but after nineteen years of having gone without shoes it felt natural.

              She ran her fingers through her soft curls and made her way into the living room. As she looked to the ceiling her heart caught in her throat and she let out a shrill scream. Her hands covered her mouth and she began shaking as Marcus floated high above her.

              Her piercing scream burned like fire though his mind as he was suddenly awoken from his sleep. Marcus fell to the floor and slammed face-first into its hard, cold surface. Being somewhat stunned, he quickly recovered to his feet, and the sound of his sword being drawn rang though the air like thunder. He quickly snapped his head back and forth, looking for the invader that had frightened the little angel. There was no shadowy form in the room, no gnarled murderer or massive beast. Only a pair of frightened eyes stared back at him, eyes that belonged to an angel huddled and crying on the floor. The rage in Marcus’s heart quickly rescinded as he returned his sword to its scabbard.

              Alyssa backed away from him, “Ed...Marcus you were floating.”

              Marcus took a step toward her and she again backed away from him. “There are things you do not yet know about me Alyssa, and I am not so sure if you are ready to hear them.”

              “But how…how were you floating Marcus? You have no wings…”

              “Magic of course, could you not feel it as you entered the forest?”

              “What…what is magic?”

              “Magic is the force, the energy that exists within certain creatures that inhabit this world, among those creatures are angels.”

              “You mean…I have magic?”

              “Yes Alyssa, perhaps you have never used it before but you must have sensed it within yourself, especially during times when strong emotions overcame you.”

              “Could you possibly show me how to use magic one day Marcus?”

              “I am not sure I can Alyssa, the gift within each creature is different, and it may be that only another angel could help you learn to control it.”

              “How did you come to possess magic Marcus? I have not seen any other human with the ability to float.”

              “I was born human Alyssa, but I have…changed over time. One day I will explain it to you, but for right now all that I can ask is that you accept me for who I am.”

              She nodded at him and asked if she could take a walk outside to gather wild flowers from the field. He returned her nod and she left the confines of the cabin and disappeared from his vision.

              The cool morning breeze swept against her bare legs in the short dress. It fluttered around her like a sheer white sail as goose bumps started to form along her skin. She knew that the day was destined to be hot though so she brushed off the mild discomfort. Besides, she had weathered winters outside during blizzards so a chilly breeze was nothing. The grass was wet from the rain and the ground was still soft.

              Soon she was covered in mud up to her ankles and she sloshed through the wet ground to the banks of the river. Alyssa cleaned off her legs and spotted a batch of dry grass near some wildflowers along the bank of the river. She went to them and sat on the mound, her back resting against a large apple tree.

              Alyssa hummed softly to herself as she played with a small yellow flower in her hands. A few drops of water fell on her from the leaves above and she giggled as they ran over her bare arms and back. She looked her wings over and ran her fingers through the soft feathers. Overnight they had become softer and longer. She decided to go to town later on and ask Angie what she had put in the cream.

              She felt warm breath above her and smiled up into Solara’s golden face. “Hello,” she called               happily to the dragon. Solara smiled at the little angel and lay down next to her.

              “What are you doing out so early Alyssa?”

              The angel shrugged. “I never sleep very long. And besides, after a rain like last night there are so many flowers to smell and animals to talk to. I couldn’t bear to be in bed with so much life everywhere.”

              Solara chuckled and drank from the cool river. “Speaking of last night, was there some reason that you were out so late?”

              Alyssa looked away and draped her wings around her body. “I got scared of Marcus and had to get away,” she said quietly.

              Solara turned the angel’s face toward her with one golden claw. “Why were you afraid of him Alyssa? He would never hurt anyone.”

              She nodded and sighed. “He tried to touch me last night.”

              Solara snorted and her nostrils flared red with the fire that burned inside of them. “He did what?” she asked darkly.

              Alyssa quickly shook her head no. “He didn’t try to touch me like that. He has never tried to do that. Marcus tried to touch my shoulders and I got the wrong impression and jumped to conclusions and got very scared.”

              Solara nodded and smiled. “He will never hurt you child. You have nothing to be afraid of.  Marcus isn’t like other humans.”

              Alyssa nodded. Looking to change the topic, she said, “Are all dragons as big as you?”

              Solara giggled. “Am I really that big?”

              The angel paused. The only dragon she had ever seen was a baby, and he was no taller than five feet. She imagined that there were bigger dragons than Solara in the world though since she herself was only twenty feet or so tall. “I’ve never seen a dragon as big as you,” she said shyly.

              Solara nodded. “There are bigger than me and there are smaller. How big was your friend?”

              Alyssa giggled as she thought about Damascus’s goofy grin and the way he always seemed to be happy to see her, despite what was going on in their lives. He had been only a youngster the last time she had seen him though. “He was much smaller than you. Of course he was only a baby then. Now though he could probably kick your big golden butt,” she teased.

              Solara gasped and tickled the little angel with her claws. “Well some cultures think a nice round back end is a sign of great wisdom and power.”

              “Or lots of cake.” Alyssa said as she stuck her tongue out at the dragon. Solara laughed and ruffled the angel’s curls with the tip of her tail.

              Marcus walked to the library and sat down at his reading desk. He opened the book with the faded red cover and flipped to the first page. The words were written in old elfish, though Marcus could easily understand the text. The book told of ancient battles and valiant heroes, many of which Marcus had once met in his travels. Marcus looked out the large window and saw that the sun was centered in the sky so he decided he would go outside and possibly try to find Alyssa.

              The day was proving to be fairly warm so Marcus decided to change out of his white uniform into something lighter. He chose a very light, sleeveless back shirt, adorned with a golden dragon and back pants. Marcus decided to take a pair of wooden swords with him as he ventured outside so that he could practice his swordsmanship if he could not find Alyssa. The once swampy ground had dried with the warm sun and was now firm. Marcus strode across the field toward the river and dipped his hands into the clear water. He drank the cooling liquid and splashed some on his arms and face before taking up one of the wooden swords. He made the ancient and traditional sword salute and begin performing a few simple cuts. As his muscles wormed up he moved to advanced techniques and lost himself in the flurry of his blade.

              Solara and Alyssa watched as Marcus came up to the river. The angel had never seen him in anything but his white suit and his new choice of clothing excited her.

              She climbed up to the first branch of an apple tree to get a better view of him. He had not seen them yet so she jumped effortlessly to a nearby oak tree.

              “Alyssa come back here,” Solara hissed to the girl.

              “I just want to get a closer look,” she whispered back as she navigated the gnarled branches.

              Solara shook her head.

              “Get back here. You should not spy on Marcus. ”

              Alyssa rolled her eyes and ignored the dragon. She teetered across a narrow branch before finally jumping to a branch directly above Marcus’s head. She was well out of reach of his swords and he still hadn’t noticed her presence. Solara grumbled to herself and disappeared into the field. Alyssa stifled a giggle as she watched the sun bounce off Marcus’s well-muscled shoulders. She hung her legs over either side of the branch and leaned forward over the branch. Her chin rested on her hands as she continued to watch him. Her toes could just barely reach him and she stretched one out to brush his hair.

              Marcus felt something touch his hair but dismissed it and continued to practice. Again he felt the touch and this time he made sure to look up out of the corner of his eye as he was cutting so he could view what it was that had touched him. Alyssa sat on a high tree branch, her bare feet dangling down and slowly kicking back and forth. He had figured that she did not realize she was spotted and decided to practice for a little while longer before leaving the riverbank. He doubled back in a circle to the tree where she had been sitting and silently floated up to its branches. His catlike steps went unheard by the angel and he approached her turned back and laid the point of his sword between her shoulder blades and poked Alyssa gently.

              Her body froze and she looked over her shoulder. Marcus had startled her, but this time she was able to control her reaction and just smiled at him. She carefully turned around to face him but lost her grip and fell screaming into the cool water. The water was deep enough that she did not hurt herself and as she came up to the surface she spat a stream into his face. She stood up and shook out her soaked wings. Her whole body was completely drenched and she looked mournfully at her new dress. “Well I guess I should go change.” She paused and smiled up at him. “Was it your plan all along to get me naked again Marcus?”